Slower?

[Ouch!]

The way I see it, EoFF is like SNL. It has its ups and downs. The highs are usually pretty high. The lows are usually pretty low.

I don't know what SNL is (Saturday Night Live?) but yeah this is a good way of saying it.

Yeah, it's Saturday Night Live. As you mentioned, the changes in EoFF are more changes in its members, specifically their presence or absence. SNL is much the same. For about a decade it'll have a good cast. The best members of the cast will eventually make a career outside of SNL, leaving behind the mediocre and flat-out terrible. A rebuilding phase (which usually takes a while) follows.

Lather, rinse, repeat.